Spoonboy

The Papas

Written by: PP on 18/01/2012 05:16:06

Here's a band that took me by complete surprise. Described as a poor man's Belle & Sebastian by some, and as an acoustic folk punk troubadour by others, Spoonboy is the eponymous solo project of a Max Levine Ensemble member called Spoonboy. In this scribe's opinion, he doesn't really fall into either category. Instead, Spoonboy is an intriguing mixture of two past greats in lo-fi indie rock and forefathers of modern pop punk: Pavement and The Stereo.

The project brings together the lo-fi guitar and the overall quirky and introspective sound from the former with the up-tempo, indie-flavored pop punk of the latter. The result is a sound that's neither lo-fi or pop punk by definition, but something exactly in between. The guitars are incredibly simple, as are the melodies, but in this case it's for the benefit of the overall sound. That's because in terms of the lyrical universe, Spoonboy is definitely among the best that either genre has to offer. The lo-fi instrumentation, while taking a leading role in many instances (such as when bringing in some gentle horns), is perfect for making room for his charming, story-based lyrics that range from touching to awkward, introspective to naive, yet is catchy and thoughtful all around. I guess this is where he gets his troubadour reputation; the record is jam-packed with funny and weird catch-phrases that stick to your mind long after you're done listening.

Together with the interesting juxtaposition of two genres that rarely get mixed, the lyrics bring that extra element that makes Spoonboy's otherwise simple music stand out in the same way as Lemuria's equally awkward expression does on "Pebble". It's a great example of how relatively straight-forward music can be made to sound so intriguing that it's difficult to put down the record because you want to hear more of this guy.

8

Download: Not Coming Home, Gerald Lee Palmer, Stab Yer Dad, Sexy Dreams
For the fans of: Pavement, The Stereo, The Weakerthans, Lemuria
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 01.05.2011
Plan-It-X Records / Fuck You Is A Seven Letter Word Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.